Methodology & sources
Every number on this site is computed from public records. This page shows the work.
Source data
All well records come from the well construction records (GW-1) filed with NC DEQ's Division of Water Resources, together with the groundwater wells the U.S. Geological Survey has inventoried in North Carolina (edocs.deq.nc.gov/WaterResources/Browse.aspx?id=256243&dbid=0&repo=WaterResources). We refresh our copy weekly from the state's public data service. (211,712 well records at last refresh, 2026-10-12.)
Filters
- NC DEQ GW-1 well construction records plus the USGS NWIS inventory, water-supply wells only (monitoring, recovery, injection, remediation and geothermal wells excluded; untyped legacy records kept only with a yield or 50+ ft depth), and USGS rows that duplicate a GW-1 record removed
- Static water level statistics use measurements 0–2,000 ft below ground surface; zero/blank values are treated as missing
- Yield statistics use reported flows/pump tests 0–5,000 gpm
- Records without a resolvable county are excluded from county pages
- Counties with fewer than 10 records are not published
Statistics
We report medians and interquartile ranges (25th–75th percentile) rather than averages, because well data is heavily skewed — a few very deep wells would distort an average. "Recent" figures cover wells completed since 2016. Driller tables count wells by the driller on logs filed since 2016.
Cost estimates
We do not collect quotes. Cost ranges apply published national per-foot rates to the local median depth — the local depth is what makes the estimate useful, and it comes from actual drilled wells nearby:
- Drilling + casing: $25–$65 per foot
- Complete system (pump, pressure tank, hookup): $60–$100 per foot
Rate sources (last checked 2026-06-11):
- HomeGuide — Well Drilling Cost (2026) — $25–65/ft drilling + casing; complete systems $3,000–15,000, most $5,500–9,000
- Angi — How Much Does Well Drilling Cost? (2026) — cross-check: drilling alone $15–25/ft; complete installation $25–65/ft
- The Well Guide — Well Drilling Cost (2026) — depth tables (e.g. 150 ft: $9,000–13,000 all-in); Mountain West/Pacific NW: $35–65/ft, systems $10,000–25,000
- well construction records (Form GW-1) filed with NC DEQ's Division of Water Resources, together with the USGS National Water Information System groundwater inventory — all depth/static-water-level/yield figures are computed from NC DEQ + USGS records, not estimated
Estimates are planning figures, not quotes. Site access, geology, casing depth, and water treatment needs move real prices substantially.
Known data limitations
- Location accuracy varies by record: Most North Carolina well records are located from the well's street address or the driller's reported coordinates rather than a surveyed wellhead, so results show the wells around a location rather than a single wellhead.
- Not every well is on record — older and hand-dug wells are under-represented.
- Some records contain filing errors; we propagate the official record as filed.
Corrections
If a number here looks wrong, email us (or reply to any report). Confirmed errors are corrected and logged on the changelog. In this niche one wrong number costs more trust than ten missing features — we'd rather show less and be right.
About
North Carolina Well Data is an independent data publisher. We are not affiliated with NC DEQ/USGS, the State of North Carolina, or any drilling company. Revenue comes from property reports and from connecting homeowners with licensed local drillers — never from selling rankings or placements in the statistics.